A luggage cart is not going to heal a bad back, but it might help prevent future strains or injuries that could possibly occur as a result of carrying heavy loads with your body (which is not really the right tool for the job). Back pain experts say that more back injuries actually occur from carrying loads improperly than from lifting them improperly – a very good reason to put your bag and baggage on dependable wheels so your body is not carrying the load at all.

A folding luggage or utility cart is a tool and tools are meant to help get a particular job done in the best and most efficient way. What comes to my mind is the old saying: "use the right tool, for the right job."  The right job for a luggage cart is to allow a human being who is walking some distance to take a heavy load with them, while removing the weight of the load from the human back and shoulders, and placing it on the wheeled cart. This is an age-old solution, to a common human situation, and obviously removes strain from the back which is no longer carrying the load.

A luggage cart can be pushed or pulled, and oddly enough, those same experts say it is easier on the back if the load is pushed rather than pulled. They say this is because more of the leg muscles are used when a cart is pushed. But this is awkward with a luggage cart and would take me some getting used to, since I have been pulling my utility cart for years as a tag-along-behind device. You can decide how you are going to use your cart and, whether you push it or pull it, the luggage cart will still be carrying the load for you, which, in my mind, certainly saves the back.

When you are loading or unloading your utility cart remember to face your load square on. Do not twist or turn the back at the same time that you lift because this double motion is the most dangerous to the spine. Be safe. Lift, then turn with your feet.  Do not lift with your back at all, lift with your legs. If you are careful of your own body, you will be the ingredient preventing injuries, but a folding luggage cart will surely "take a load off" -- and that has got to be good! Try it for yourself, and you will see the big difference it makes to put the bag and baggage you have to carry on a sturdy well-made big-wheeled luggage cart.

If you decide to purchase a luggage cart to take some of the strain off your body as you travel or work, search for one with a limited lifetime warranty, too. Make sure you get a finely engineered device made for rugged daily use. One whose base and frame are constructed of sturdy steel tubing with the added benefit of light-weight aluminum telescoping handles. In addition, you should look for the smooth noiseless ride of ball bearings on six-inch wheels that simply roll up and down curbs without a hitch. Happy traveling!